Dynamic Photo Collage

Abstract

The invention proposes a photo display system that allows photo collages from any photo collection (2), in which the collage is changing over time in such a way that the refresh time and presentation form is dependent on user choices for selection and non-selection on photo per photo basis. The display dynamics of each photo are also dependent on the characteristics of the photo relative to that of the other photos in the collection ( 2 ), including such matters as photo quality and uniqueness of picture action.

1 . A method for providing a dynamic photo collage, said method comprising the steps of:
 receiving a group of digital images ( 2 );   assigning ranks to at least first and second images of the group of digital images; and   using the ranks assigned to the first and second images to control a display attribute of the images relative to each other when the images are displayed on a display device ( 10 ).   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of receiving a group of digital images comprises storing the images in digital form on at least one storage medium ( 2 ). 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of assigning ranks comprises assigning at least one rank to each image based on image quality, image content or image creation date. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the display attribute is one of the group consisting of image size on the display device ( 10 ), image position on the display device, and time period of display on the display device. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein when the first and second images are displayed on the display device ( 10 ), the first image has an image size larger than an image size of the second image based on the relative rankings of the first and second images. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the display device ( 1 ) is a digital picture frame, a cellular telephone, a personal computer, or a personal digital assistant. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of associating metadata ( 4 ) with each image. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the metadata ( 4 ) represents a time at which the image was taken. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the metadata ( 4 ) represents the GPS coordinates for the location at which the image was taken. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising using an ontology ( 6 ) to assign a grouping identifier to at least a portion of the plurality of digital images based on a user input or at least a portion of the metadata ( 4 ) associated with each image. 
   
   
       11 . A system for displaying a digital photo collage, said system comprising:
 a program running on a processor ( 100 );   a database ( 2 ) comprising a plurality of digital images;   metadata ( 4 ) associated with each of the plurality of digital images; and   a display device ( 10 ) in communication with the processor ( 100 ) for displaying the plurality of digital images to a viewer;   wherein the processor ( 100 ) instructs the display device ( 10 ) to display at least two of the plurality of digital images, each of the images having a display size, display time, or display position on the display device ( 10 ) that is based on the metadata associated with each image.   
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of digital images are stored in digital form on at least one storage medium ( 2 ). 
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the metadata comprises information regarding quality, content or creation date of the associated image. 
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the processor ( 100 ) instructs the display device ( 10 ) to display at least two images at the same time. 
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein one image has an display size larger than a display size of the other image based on a comparison of the their associated metadata. 
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the display device ( 10 ) is a digital picture frame, a cellular telephone, a personal computer, or a personal digital assistant. 
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the metadata represents a time at which the image was taken. 
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the metadata represents the GPS coordinates for the location at which the image was taken. 
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 16 , further comprising an ontology ( 6 ) associated with the processor, the ontology ( 6 ) being configured to assign a grouping identifier to at least a portion of the plurality of digital images based on a user input or the metadata associated with each image. 
   
   
       20 . A dynamic photo collage for displaying a plurality of digital photos, comprising:
 a processor ( 100 );   an image database ( 2 ) connected to the processor ( 100 ), the database comprising a plurality of digital images;   a metadata database ( 4 ) connected to the processor, the metadata database comprising information relating to each of the plurality of digital images; and   a display device ( 10 ) connected to the processor ( 100 ), the database configured for displaying the plurality of digital images to a viewer;   
     wherein the processor ( 100 ) is configured to instruct the display device ( 10 ) to display each of the plurality of images for a predetermined time, the predetermined time being based on at least a portion of the metadata associated with each of the plurality of images. 
   
   
       21 . The dynamic photo collage of  claim 20 , wherein the plurality of digital images are stored in digital form on at least one storage medium ( 2 ). 
   
   
       22 . The dynamic photo collage of  claim 20 , wherein the metadata comprises information regarding quality, content or creation date of the associated image. 
   
   
       23 . The dynamic photo collage of  claim 20 , wherein the processor ( 100 ) instructs the display ( 10 ) to display at least two images at he same time 
   
   
       24 . The dynamic photo collage of  claim 23 , wherein one image has an display size larger than a display size of the other image based on a comparison of the their associated metadata. 
   
   
       25 . The dynamic photo collage of  claim 20 , wherein the display device ( 10 ) is a digital picture frame, a cellular telephone, a personal computer, or a personal digital assistant. 
   
   
       26 . The dynamic photo collage of  claim 25 , wherein the metadata represents a time at which the photo was taken. 
   
   
       27 . The dynamic photo collage of  claim 26 , wherein the metadata represents the GPS coordinates for the location at which the photo was taken. 
   
   
       28 . The dynamic photo collage of  claim 20 , further comprising an ontology ( 6 ) associated with the processor ( 100 ), the ontology ( 6 ) being configured to assign a grouping identifier to at least a portion of the plurality of digital images based on a user input or the metadata associated with each image. 
   
   
       29 . A memory medium ( 200 ) for providing a dynamic photo collage, said memory medium comprising:
 code for receiving a group of digital images;   code for assigning ranks to at least first and second images of the group of digital images; and   code for using the ranks assigned to the first and second images to control a display attribute of the images relative to each other when the images are displayed on a display device.   
   
   
       30 . A device for displaying a digital photo collage, said device comprising:
 a processor ( 100 ) running a program;   a database ( 2 ) comprising a plurality of digital images;   metadata ( 4 ) associated with each of the plurality of digital images; and   a display device ( 10 ) in communication with the processor ( 100 ) for displaying the plurality of digital images to a viewer;   wherein the processor ( 100 ) instructs the display device ( 10 ) to display at least two of the plurality of digital images, each of the images having a display size, display time, or display position on the display device that is based on the metadata associated with each image.